Career Explorer Sales
Changing shape
First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of sales workers other than retail sales workers. May perform duties such as budgeting, accounting, and personnel work, in addition to supervisory duties.
Among the careers AI is changing fastest: more resilient than 13% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is high (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it very high), and US jobs are projected to change by +0.5% by 2035, slower than average. The work leans on emotional intelligence and ethical judgement.
AI can do many of the tasks, and hiring is expected to grow slower than average or to shrink. The job is likely to change, so build the human parts of it.
- Median pay (2025)
- $87,520
- Job growth to 2035
- +0.5%
- Openings a year
- 21,700
- People doing it (2025)
- 312,000
- Usual route in
- High school diploma
Where people already use AI for this work
- Explain technical details of products or services
- Respond to customer problems or inquiries
- Promote products, services, or programs
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Monitor financial data or activities
- Supervise personnel activities
- Train others on operational or work procedures
What the work looks like
- Monitor sales staff performance to ensure that goals are met.
- Provide staff with assistance in performing difficult or complicated duties.
- Visit retailers and sales representatives to promote products and gather information.
- Formulate pricing policies on merchandise according to profitability requirements.
- Prepare sales and inventory reports for management and budget departments.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Property, real estate, and community association managersGrows with AI, Index 31, +3.7%
- Occupational health and safety techniciansHuman edge, growing, Index 92, +19.4%
- Postmasters and mail superintendentsChanging shape, Index 32, -0.3%
- Real estate sales agentsChanging shape, Index 16, +1.7%
Also known as: Customer Service Supervisor, Reservations Supervisor, Sales Leader, Sales Supervisor, Customer Service Department Supervisor, Driver Sales Supervisor, Information Center Supervisor, Inside Sales Supervisor.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.